My History Can Beat Up Your Politics

Bruce and Daily Beast/CNN correspondent Matt K. Lewis talk about midterms, and Presidents post midterms. Bruce tells a story about Lincoln that he told 11 years ago. (more information on that story in the premium podcast).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are joined today by David Priess, former CIA intelligence officer and author about his new book on the history and the realities of impeachment, what people think it is, and what has really happened in history. He is the author of How To Get Rid of a President: History's Guide to Removing Unpopular, Unable, or Unfit Chief Executives.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A law that may have given Billy The Kid a few more months of life, long enough to build a legend is still a part of today's politics. The rich history of the Posse Comitatus law that separated military from law enforcement and forbids, in some cases, the use of military on American soil. , Music by Lee Rosevere, Squire Tuck and Lucas Gonze at freemusicarchive Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A look at one of America's earliest blockbusters, the little book that changed American minds: Common Sense, its author Thomas Paine, the impact it had at the time and what it might mean today. We also examine the creative differences Paine had with his printers, and how much it might have cost to advertise for a book in that time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Examining the moment in 1983 when nuclear war was possible with new research and stories from the Soviet side. How close did we come to war? And could that war have been accidental? w/ White House Correspondent for National Journal and Political Editor of The Atlantic Marc Ambinder, author of "The Brink - President Reagan and the Nuclear War Scare of 1983." We double down on some of the points made in the Reagan podcast with Marc's exhaustive research.  We also get into the recent Trump-Putin sum Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Matthews of Hardball joins the program!! He has just finished his book Bobby Kennedy - A Raging Spirit. Chris talks about RFK and how his history and childhood, and his relationship with Joe Kennedy Senior that informed his own politics. Those politics, according to Matthews, were just starting to develop at the end of his life, as he sought to defend society's less fortunate, while keeping working people of all races in mind.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elbridge Gerry lent his name to a tricky political maneuver. Not that he wanted to, or perhaps, deserved it. With gerrymandering of congressional districts and state legislative districts on the agenda of the Supreme Court, Bruce discusses the court case Gill v. Whitford and then revisits his cast from 2013 about Elbridge Gerry  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everything you know about the Russian Revolution is wrong, and understanding that is the key to understanding today's Russia as well. A very interesting conversation with Mikhail Zygar, Editor in Chief of the TV Dozhd and the Author of All the Kremlin's Men. He joins us to speak about his book The Empire Must Die - Russia's Revolutionary Collapse. We talk Russia 1917 and the revolution before the Bolsheviks. We also talk Russia 2017 and Putin, America, democracy, struggle and more.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The story of the 1978 World Cup, a cautionary tale about democracy. The world spotlight on the junta that controlled Argentina that year helped focus some attention on the plight of the victims of a vicious dictatorship, but locally, may have enhanced support for the regime. We talk about soccer and politics, we talk about democracy and the dangers of losing it, we read a bit of Eduardo Galeano's Excellent Soccer in Sun and Shadow. Music from Lee Rosevere  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Taft fails in trying to lower tariffs, setting up his successor to do it. In frustration, he walks away from the White House. Meanwhile, his opponent, William Jennings Bryan, destroys the tariff in several populist arguments. A look at Payne-Aldrich, the 1909 tariff bill that was as least as important as Smoot Hawley.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is infrastructure always good? We talk with Greg Young of the Very Popular "Bowery Boys NYC" podcast, about infrastructure. In particular the story of Robert Moses and his career reforming New York's infrastructure. Until he met his match. We also talk about Trump's career in NYC, and whether Mark Zuckerberg is the new Vanderbilt.  Music from Chris Forsyth and the Solar Motel Band in this episode.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  We speak once again to David Priess, former CIA Briefer and the author of The President's Book of Secrets. While last time we spoke mostly about Presidents and intelligence, this time we get into the other people who use intelligence and how they support the President.  In the course of the discussion, we talk about what we can know about Trump's briefings, what it's like to be a briefer, and what it's like to work with Robert Mueller.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Populism, Corruption, Citizenship and Immigration. Rome struggled with these issues in its Republic phase. Bruce is joined by Mike Duncan, host of The History of Rome Podcast, to talk about the pre-fall of the Roman Republic, period of 146 to 78 BC and the cast of characters that struggled for power at the time. Mike has come out with a recent book called "The Storm Before the Storm," which delves into this topic.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the leader of China erasing that country's 2 term limit, we are taking a look back at the 2 term presidential limit in the United States, how recent it is and whether it's a good thing. This episode is from 2012.  BTW - As you listen this will make more sense - Hilmar Moore, Mayor of Richmond Texas - died in 2012 and thus is no longer mayor of Richmond Texas, his wife is currently mayor. Probably makes the case in a way.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Mexican War, current U.S. politics, Mexican history are all topics Bruce joins Bob Crawford of the Avett Brothers and Dr. Benjamin Sawyer of Middle Tennessee State University, hosts of the Road to Now Podcast in Mexico where they discuss Mexico relations in front of a live audience. But first a little commentary about Benito Juarez. Thanks to the Road to Now for hosting us at the Avett Brothers at the Beach Festival  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a day everything changed and a new President inhabited the chair in the White House. The country and the world were anxious. Russia and Asia Pacific were frightening foreign policy issues. We are speaking of 1945, but as A.J. Baime, author of The Accidental President suggests, there are some similarities to today. A.J. Joins us on the program.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He was essential to the colonial resistance to the Stamp Act. He was the bulwark of the American Revolution in Virginia. and supported Washington when others did not. Yet for many Americans, Patrick Henry is known for making one speech and uttering the words 'Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death.' In this interview with Jon Kukla, author of Patrick Henry: Champion of Liberty, we seek a fuller picture of this important man and discuss the Revolution, the Constitution and Slavery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While so much attention is focused on splits in the GOP, there is a gaping split on the left that while, perhaps not large, is important to understanding both what happened in 2016 and the politics of 2017 and moving forward. Special guest Chris Novembrino, of the 'Don't Worry About the Government' Podcast, has an interesting analysis of the splits between Progressives and Technocrats that will determine what happens in the future.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the 40th Anniversary of the rock star's death, We talk to Bob Crawford and Dr. Ben Sawyer of The Road to Now Podcast about Elvis Presley, American life, rock and roll, drugs, the 'Shut Up and Sing' debate and many other things. Music (theme www.dontworry.tv and www.bensound.com -background) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Polarized politics, fear, a media with intent to inflame and make its owners famous, no budging on either side, confidence and even mania - that's the combo that author Paul Starobin of the Atlantic and the New Republic describes as the factors that lead to South Carolina's secession in 1860. We talk to him about his book "Madness Rules the Hour:" Charleston 1860 and the mania for war.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices